Edited by Russ and Tiña De Maris
Rambling Reviews
The video feature, A bit of rambling on a Friday Night, took plenty of commentary from readers. Most of it positive, and we’ll acknowledge too, that some with limited Internet bandwidth access feel a bit slighted. Here’s just one of the notes that came in.
Pamela had a suggestion on doing something about woeful quality control issues from RV manufacturers. “What if consumers made buying an RV like buying a home? When the RV came to the dealership, before signing the contract and paying for the RV – what if the consumer had an inspection done and a “punch list” that had to be taken care of before the final purchase went through? A buyer could then have another inspection done before signing and if items weren’t fixed right the first time, another “punch list” would be generated that had items to be done before the purchase actually took place. Do you think that would encourage manufacturers to get it right the first time and place more emphasis on quality control?
And we couldn’t resist publishing a “back pat” letter from Sandra A. “My friend’s father recommended that we get hooked up with your newsletter, and I must say… I’m so very grateful for his suggestion!!! My husband and I are getting prepared for our very first RV purchase, and the information you have here has taken us from ‘Oh my gawd, what are we getting ourselves into!’ to, ‘Oh hey that’s what that is! Ok, that’s not so bad!’
“So, please know that you’re information is definitely helping this newbie family learn the ropes about RVing while still enjoying our wanderlust call! (Without breaking into full blown tears of misery cuz we didn’t know how to properly manage our tanks…)
Thank you for the video (hope they become regulars) and thank you for fighting for better quality in RVs! My whole family is riding on them, they better make them good dangit! (I’m sure y’all feel the same way too.)”
Carbon Monoxide (Issue 777 news item)
Greg Illes sent his own experience to emphasize the importance of this matter.
“We use (rarely) a portable generator, and one rainy day we ran it at the rear of the motorhome, underneath the overhanging tail. The exhaust was pointed away from the rig, and the wind was blowing in the same direction, taking the exhaust away. Within about 10 minutes, our CO alarm went off, even though we couldn’t smell anything and had no symptoms at all. No headache or smarting eyes, no odor of any kind. Needless to say, we moved the generator away from the rig, but it took another 10-15 minutes for the CO to clear out and all to be well again.
“CO is about the same density as air (which is mostly N2), and so neither rises nor falls in an enclosure. But since it’s in exhaust gas, which is warm, it will initially rise. That’s how it got into our motorhome.
“Lessons Learned
“ALWAYS have a CO detector, and make sure it’s working. NEVER run our generator underneath our rig. (Note: If the wind is blowing wrong, you might even have issues with a built-in generator, with wind blowing the exhaust back under the rig.)”
Boondocking Blight
Yes, it’s true, Chuck did tell everyone to hold their ‘boondocking recommendations’ in his Editor’s Corner piece last week, still Jim couldn’t resist sending a cautionary note: “We have been full timing for over eight years now and spend a lot of time each year boondocking. The news I have for you is those locations, too, are becoming overrun. There is no shortage of inconsiderate campers. Enjoy the garbage, clay pigeons and used ammunition even when there aren’t noisy campers to contend with.
“That said, boondocking is still the better option.”
Selling the house to go Full-Timing
Bob Godfrey got the ball rolling as he pondered the situation: “Having sold off our “stuff” and moved into our motorhome full time in 2010, we have seen 45 states and eight Canadian provinces and have loved the travel. However, I will state that there are times (for me not my wife) where I just want to return to a ‘home base’ and have a garage again and workshop, so I see one of the considerations as ‘Can you afford to purchase again?’ when you return from your adventures; and since we are all aging, where would you like to stay for the rest of your life once you can no longer live on the road?
Tommy Molnar had a quick response: “Your last sentence says it all, Bob. ‘Where would you like to stay for the rest of your life once you can no longer live on the road?’ Because at some point I think we all will arrive at the time when we can no longer drive. That kind of puts a clamp on your wanderlust. We will keep our house as a ‘base camp’ and head out on multi-month trips with our travel trailer knowing we have a place to return to – and PLOP for a while.”
Still, at least one other fulltimer takes a bit of a different view. This thought from P. Jane McRae: “I will always live on the road, live and die this way. It has been the best decision of my ENTIRE life. Been three years now, with just me and my Winnie class A, and I cannot possibly imagine living anywhere else. So, no, for me there’s no going back to ‘home base.’
Again, thanks for all of your comments, rants, and cheers. We’re limited on just how much we can publish in our review, but know, all of your comments are read – and appreciated! And thanks to KristinNador on flickr.com for the 1924 Corona typewriter keyboard image.
